Could he be?

Looking through my books - I found the Laekenois and had Benjie nearby - he's always been shepherd mix but it is more believable a Laekenois mix than a GSD mix IMO. I see no GSD in him..

What do you think?

Benjie:


Laekenois:


GSD:


Or does he look like neither?

Neither, there are so few Lakies in the UK that the chances of this dog being the product of a mixed mating are somewhere between nil and zero................

I'd think the Laekenois is highly unlikely - they are an extremely uncommon breed! They are the wire-coated Belgian Shepherd breed, like a rough-haired Malinois, but far, far rarer.

There are so many wirehaired breeds of dog - especially in terriers - that the probability is any one of those could have given him his coat. It's a dominant gene meaning only one parent has to be wirehaired to pass it on to some or all of the pups, so the terrier input could have been generations past.

I can see possible GSD in him - crosses with GSDs often have ears like his.

Edit: posted same time as Smokeybear.

I understand the rarity, but it's rare - not extinct - there could have been one somewhere that mated with another dog and Benjie came along...

I'm not saying he is or he isn't - it's just a breed on the many possibilities of his cross/mix. Just wondered what you thought..

It's just highly unlikely, with only 30 of the breed registered in the last 11 years. Roughly half of those would be males, and some I think were exported, so take into account neutering and the fact they are a breed that's almost exclusively in the hands of responsible dog owners....

....and then add up ALL the other wire-haired and rough-haired breeds of dog (I can think of at least 25 breeds! and one of those has had around 100,000 registered in the last 10 years), and you'll begin to see why the odds are very much stacked against it.

I suppose - just a thought though I guess.

GSD mix would be more believeable given how rare Laekenois are. As Merlinsmum says, there are MUCH more common breed with wire hair, it's way more likely that's where Benjies has come from.

I would have just reiterated what Smokey and Merlin have said. Laekenois are extremely rare, so it is highly unlikely.

He looks lovely, but very terrier-ish to me. I can't even really see GSD in him.

He looks like a terrier x lurcher to me.

Me neither - I don't think he has an ounce of shepherd in him. He has a really deep chest so I was thinking rough collie at one point - you have to meet him to be able to tell - he looks different every day..